Optical Profile Following High Hyperopia Correction With a 500-Hz Excimer Laser System

PURPOSE: To evaluate corneal higher order aberrations after LASIK for the correction of high hyperopia using a 500-Hz excimer laser and optimized ablation profile. METHODS: Retrospective consecutive study including 51 eyes of 28 patients (age range: 21 to 54 years) with high hyperopia or hyperopic astigmatism (sphere ≥ 5.00 diopters). All cases underwent LASIK using the sixth generation Amaris excimer laser (SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions, Kleinostheim, Germany) and a femtosecond laser platform for flap creation. Postoperative changes in corneal higher order aberrations for the 4-, 5-, and 6-mm pupil diameters and corneal asphericity for 4.5 and 8 mm were represented at the end of the 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: A significant increase in corneal root mean square higher order, spherical, and coma aberrations was observed 6 months after surgery (P < .01). Corneal asphericity for the 4.5-mm (Q45) and 8-mm (Q8) corneal diameter also changed significantly during the postoperative period (P < .01). Strehl ratio change was not statistically significant (P = .77). CONCLUSIONS: Correction of high hyperopia with LASIK significantly induces corneal higher order aberrations regardless of the physiologic level of photopic and mesopic pupil conditions.